CHAPTER 1: First Meeting

XYNETH'S POV

I am Xyneth Lava Asuncion, a hard-working woman, but I'm broke, which is why I'm desperate for another job. Today is my contract's end, so it's my last day working as a waitress in the restaurant.

I don't know why my life feels incomplete these past years. It's like I've forgotten something more valuable than my own life.

I sigh as I get back to work, serving the customers as usual.

I approach the woman sitting near the glass window and politely ask, "What is your order, Ma'am?"

The woman stops using her phone and looks at me. "I want adobo, sinigang, and steak. For dessert, I want macaroni and halo-halo."

I smile at her and reply, "Okay, Ma'am. Please wait for a minute, and we will serve your order." I turn my back to retrieve her order.

Heading to the kitchen, I grab the dishes the woman had ordered.

Rosalie, one of the staff working as a waitress in this restaurant, approaches me. "Dear, today is your last day, right?"

I chuckle. "Stop saying it like that. It might be misunderstood as if today is my last day on Earth."

She chuckles too. "Oh, sorry. Anyway, what are you going to do for your next job?"

I sigh as soon as I hear the words "next job." It will be hard for me to find a decent job that will hire me.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, but I'm still going to find a job that has a high salary." I say as I pick up the dishes ordered by the woman earlier.

I glance at Rosalie. "I'm going now. The woman might be hungry waiting for her order to arrive." I say before leaving the kitchen to serve the woman's order.

As soon as I reach table 14, where the woman who ordered earlier is seated, I gently place all her orders on the table.

The woman smiles at me and says, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure to serve you, Ma'am," I reply politely.

"I want to order too," a deep cold baritone voice says behind me.

I compose myself and politely turn around to look at him. As soon as I see him, my jaw almost drops. I'm shocked by his face—such a gorgeous face. He has thick eyebrows that make him more appealing, a pointed nose, red-plum lips—

"Are you done staring at me, woman?"

I almost jump in shock. I clear my throat before speaking. "W-What is your order, Sir?"

"I want Ulafia with hot sauce, and for the drink, I want plain water," he says while looking directly into my eyes, making me feel a little uncomfortable. But I still compose myself.

I smile, taking down his order in my notepad. "Noted. Please wait for a minute, and we will serve your order." I say before heading back to the kitchen to serve his order.

Rosalie approaches me again to whisper something. "Who's that hot man?"

"Hot? Ah... you mean the one at table 13? I don't know, but he seems familiar to me," I say nonchalantly.

"Familiar? How so?" she asks. Rosalie is the one who cooks his order; she's a chef here.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, but his aura says so. It feels like he's a part of me or something like that."

Rosalie can't help but make a scoffing sound. "Dear, you just read too many novels." She chuckles at her response. "Yeah, maybe that's it."

As soon as Rosalie finishes cooking, she takes the man's order and goes to his table to serve it. When she arrives at table 13, she carefully places the Ulafia, making sure the soup doesn't spill, and puts the glass of water on his table.

The man looks at me once again and says, "Thank you."

I smile. "It's our pleasure to serve you, Sir." I say politely before going to another table to take their orders.

Today has been a hectic day. It's already 4:00 in the afternoon, and my body is screaming for rest. Who wouldn't be tired? Many customers have visited here. My contract ends at 9:00 in the evening, so I still have a few hours left.

Since I'm near the glass door, I greet the customer as soon as the doorbell rings.

"Welcome to the Paradise Restaurant," I say, slightly bowing my head without looking at the customer.

He chuckles. "We meet again, Honey."

As soon as I hear his voice, I immediately raise my head to look at him.

He's smiling from ear to ear, totally different from what I imagined. Well, don't blame me; that man has a cold and dangerous aura about him.

I'm momentarily stunned by the word "Honey," but I don't mind it.

I smile and reply, "We meet again, Sir. My name is not Honey, but Xyneth. The Paradise Restaurant is glad to have you back, Sir." I gesture with my hand, inviting him to come in.

"Oh, so your name is Xyneth?" he says, still smiling.

"Yes, that's my name," I reply.

"Xyneth is a good name, you know," he comments, making me smile. "Thank you."

"But Honey is way better than your name," he adds, making me chuckle.

I'm about to speak when Rosalie chimes in, "Oho... Honey? How about I call you 'F*ck off'? Dear Customer?"

I immediately turn around as soon as she says that. Rosalie is the same age as me, but she's sarcastic and has a foul mouth.

She speaks her mind, which is why she was assigned as a chef to prevent her from badmouthing the customers.

"Oh? F*ck off is a good name, but I wanted to be called Honey by her," the man says in a cold tone, pointing at me.

"Sorry, but we won't tolerate any flirtatious behavior here in our restaurant, especially when it involves our workers," Rosalie says in a menacing voice.

I quickly cover her mouth when I feel a strong, cold aura behind me. I still keep my hand over Rosalie's mouth as I turn my gaze to the man.

I smile. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, and I also apologize for her behavior."

The man shakes his head. "That's fine. Anyways, I've lost my appetite to eat here. 'Til we meet again, Honey," he says before leaving.

I look at Rosalie. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" she looks innocent.

"Why did you say that to him?" I ask.

She hisses. "Can't you see that he was hitting on you? That sly man!"

"Do you know him?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "No, but I can feel that he's a dangerous man. That's why I bad-mouthed him to stop him from hitting on you. He has this dangerous aura, especially that cold stare. I hope you won't see him again."

I don't respond or dare to speak back.